I have a 2004 Chevy Tracker which is a 2004 Suzuki Vitara. It is a V-6 4x4. I do quite a bit of towing with the vehicle. I would like to equip my vehicle with a transmission oil temperature gauge as well as an auxiliary transmission oil cooler. I live in New York State which has pretty cold winters, therefore I want to install an automatic bypass valve with the transmission oil cooler.

Ok, so I figured that I don't really need a transmission oil temp. guage, and I don't have much room for it so I'm skipping that.

I found a transmission oil cooler from advance auto parts that is a good size. 5 inches tall by almost 16 inches wide. this fits perfectly behind the bumper(still in direct air flow) and just below the fan. It's called the Imperial Econo-Kool® Transmission Oil Cooler
Part No. 242010

I also purchased a Derale 13011 Fluid Control Thermostat Kit. This will allow the vehicle to automatically bypass the trans oil cooler while the vehicle is warming up.

So I found a reasonably priced temperature gauage designed for water or oil. I'm going to attempt to mount the probe in the automatic trans drain plug (replacing the plug with the probe). I'll let you know how it worked out.

So I found a reasonably priced temperature gauage designed for water or oil. I'm going to attempt to mount the probe in the automatic trans drain plug (replacing the plug with the probe). I'll let you know how it worked out.

I finished the installation today. I had to make a special bracket to mount the bypass valve. The bypass valve that I used is called the Derale Performance Fluid Control thermostat stock # 13011. I decided that I will make a few extra brackets and sell them on ebay since you can't get them anywhere else in the world. I will also be selling a front mounted (removeable) winch mount - stay tuned. Here is my ebay page: http://www.ebay.com/usr/mariohere

I mounted the trans oil cooler toward the bottom of the front radiator just behind the bumper. Luckily the bumper has vents in it for air flow. Again, the trans oil cooler that I used is the Imperial Econo-Kool® Transmission Oil Cooler Part No. 242010. It's 5" tall by 16" wide. I could have fit an extra 4 or 5" wide, but I couldn't find one in that dimension. The 5" height is perfect for this installation.

It was a pretty straight forwards installation with enough room to fit everything, but not much room to spare. One note of caution: Please take extra time to make sure that you have the transmission lines connected correctly when you do this installation. There are 4 lines that need to be connected, and due to the fact that there are multiple ways the bypass valve can be mounted it can be very difficult to get the lines on the right connectors. For example, the way I mounted the valve it was upside down and backwards from the way the valve was shown in the diagram that came with it. Take your time and label and even redraw a diagram if necessary so you don't screw it up.